Passport Canada (known as the Passport Office prior to June 2006) was an independent, special operating agency of the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

with bureaucratic oversight provided through Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Passport Canada was responsible for issuing, revoking, withholding, and recovering Canadian passports, and it was the sole issuer of them (except for emergency and temporary passports that may be issued by a Canadian mission abroad). The agency operated under the auspices of the ''Canadian Passport Order'' which defined the agency. Due to its status as a special operating agency, Passport Canada was financed solely through the fees collected for issuing passports and other travel documents. It did not receive direct funding from the federal government. Passport Canada became defunct on 1 July 2013, after the amended Canadian Passport Order came into effect replacing Passport Canada with

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC; )Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program since 2015; the legal title is Department of Citizenship and Immigration (). is the Ministry ...

(IRCC) as the passport issuing authority on that date.

Employment and Social Development Canada Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC; ; )''Employment and Social Development Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Employment and Social Development (). is a department of ...

(ESDC), through

Service Canada Service Canada is the program operated by Employment and Social Development Canada to serve as a single-point of access for the Government of Canada's largest and most heavily used programs, such as the social insurance number, the Employment I ...

, is responsible for the delivery of the passport program on behalf of IRCC. Service Canada delivers in-person passport services in passport offices and at Service Canada Centres in Canada.

Canadian Passport Order

The Canadian Passport Order is an

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

made under the authority of the

royal prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, Privilege (law), privilege, and immunity recognised in common law (and sometimes in Civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy) as belonging to the monarch, so ...

. First passed in 1981, it has been amended several times. Under the previous ''Canadian Passport Regulations'', which the Order superseded, residents of Canada could obtain a passport by completing an application and sending it in by mail to the Department of External Affairs without having to prove their Canadian citizenship. It specifies who is eligible for a

Canadian passport A Canadian passport () is a passport issued to citizens of Canada. It enables the bearer to enter or re-enter Canada freely; travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitates the process of securing assistan ...

, as well as the procedure and application process for obtaining one. Under the Order, the

Governor-in-Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of appr ...

has the authority to revoke or refuse a passport on grounds specified in the Order. A passport may not be refused or revoked on grounds not specified in the Order. The Order established the Passport Office (later Passport Canada) as a special operating agency to oversee the distribution of passports to Canadian citizens. Following amendments in 2013, Passport Canada was dissolved and responsibilities for issuing Canadian passports were transferred to the Passport Program of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Auditor General's Report

In April 2005, the

Auditor General of Canada The Auditor General of Canada (French: La vérificatrice générale du Canada) is a Supreme audit institution which acts as an officer to the Parliament of Canada tasked with highlighting accountability and oversight by conducting independent f ...

Sheila Fraser gave a scathing report on Passport Canada, writing that employees of the agency lack proper

security clearance A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

. Prior to the Auditor General's report, Passport Canada had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Corrections Canada to obtain a full list of inmates' names, as they are ineligible for a passport. Follow-up reports were issued in 2007—which noted continuing control issues—and 2009—where satisfactory progress was observed, especially in light of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative introduced by the United States.

References

{{Government Departments of Canada 1981 establishments in Canada 2013 disestablishments in Canada Passport Order Former Canadian federal departments and agencies Government agencies established in 1981 Government agencies disestablished in 2013 Special operating agencies of Canada

Canadian Passport Order

Auditor General's Report

See also

References